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Alaska keeps it cool on RuPaul’s Drag Race

Her trademark greeting is immediately familiar to fans of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (and an homage to Coco Ferocha and Isis Mirage, who do YouTube recaps of the show). The wildly popular TV competition is equal parts “Project Runway,” “America’s Next Top Model” and “American Idol.” Drag queens compete in a series of complex challenges, everything from singing and sewing to comedy and runway.

The Season 5 winner is crowned Monday during a live reunion show. It’s down to Alaska, fellow comedy queen Jinkx Monsoon and pageant girl Roxxxy Andrews. Fan votes, via social media, will help determine the ultimate queen.

Alaska entered the competition with a pedigree. Her partner, Sharon Needles, is the Season 4 winner. She got off to a rough start, bombing an underwater photo challenge, but eventually found her footing. She’s the only contestant this season who never had to lip sync for her life and face elimination.

She’s in town May 9 to perform and guest judge at the Pride Superstar singing competition. (“I’ll be just like Demi Lovato!”) Before then, she talked Needles legacy, La Toya Jackson shade and loving the “Golden Girls.”

You made the cut this year after auditioning every season. What kept you motivated?
At first, I didn’t even understand what the show was going to become. I don’t think anyone did. They first approached me about it Season 1. I totally bombed my interview. Then, it became a personal vendetta. I just got further and further along until they ran out of drag queens and they had to take me.

Has the show changed the way you approach drag and performing?
I think that my attitude about myself is something that I’ve been trying to work on — trying to be more positive and just believing in myself more. I watch the show, and sometimes I’m really hard on myself in the interviews. You just need to be your biggest fan. And to not wear strapless things.

Did watching Sharon go through the experience help?
I think that we all were able to learn a lot from Sharon. She was very visually striking, and she changed her look a lot on the show and always tried to tell a story. I tried to do that as much as I could.

Did you anticipate the comparisons?
I believe Jade Jolie called me a bad Sharon. But like Sharon would say, ‘Sharon’s a bad Sharon.’ I actually thought it was going to be a lot worse than it was. I thought that people would say things like that to my face, but mostly it was behind my back. I was like, ‘Everyone seemed really cool! Everyone’s so supportive!’ And then the show aired.

You rarely said a mean word about any of your fellow queens. Have you always been the nice girl?
I’m from Erie, Pennsylvania. We’re just naturally really nice, I think. In a show like ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ that isn’t always good. You’ll watch ‘Untucked’ (the after-show), and it’ll just be all the girls screaming and shouting at each other. I don’t even get a lot of screen time. But I think that people don’t watch the show for the petty drama. They watch it because of the work that we’re doing. You don’t have to be a bitch to make it to the top three.

What was the most challenging moment of the season?
When La Toya Jackson told me that my dress looked like a busted bridesmaid. I love La Toya. I think she’s fantastic. But she was really mean to me that day. I was questioning myself a lot. I was really playing it safe. I had a lot of tears, but I think I was better after that.

How long has drag been a fascination?
I always used to dress up in little girls’ clothes when I was really young. Then I realized that boys weren’t supposed to do that, and I got really shy. I didn’t do it for many years. I was really scared that I would never be able to date anyone … because there was a huge stigma against drag. But the drive was so strong to do it that I was like, ‘I don’t care. If that happens, I’m fine.’

What comes to mind when you hear Houston and Texas?
I’ve never been to Houston. But Beyoncé’s from there, so that’s cool. I always try to make my hair a little bit bigger for Texas because everything’s bigger in Texas. And all my exes live in Texas.

I was happy to discover you also have a love for the “Golden Girls.”
I’m just obsessed with them. I love it. It’s the best show ever. I’ve seen every episode 100 times. It’s really fun to tweet quotes. I love the one where Dorothy’s addicted to gambling. I love the one where Rose thinks she has AIDS. I love the one with Dr. Jonathan Newman, who’s Rose’s really short date.

Pride Superstar featuring Alaska: 9:30 p.m. Thursday at South Beach, 810 Pacific. Free; 713-529-7623 or pridehouston.org. (The “RuPaul’s Drag Race” finale airs at 8 p.m. Monday on Logo. Come back here after the show to celebrate. Or complain, if Roxxxy wins.)

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Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..